Experts warn of fragile ecosystems, lack of impact assessments, and a return to extractivist logic
When Chilean President Gabriel Boric took office in 2022, environmentalists celebrated what they hoped would be a new era for sustainability. However, three years later, the administration’s flagship National Lithium Strategy has sparked sharp criticism for what many now see as a return to extractivist practices, sidelining ecological protections in favor of production.
Launched in 2023, the strategy aims to position Chile as a global leader in lithium extraction. Yet environmental organizations, academics, and local leaders argue that the government’s current approach replicates past mistakes: insufficient scientific backing, lack of community involvement, and inadequate environmental controls.
“The strategy is entirely focused on extraction. It lacks any real vision for conservation,” said Javier Arroyo, a member of the Latin American Observatory of Environmental Conflicts (OLCA).
Environmental Impact Assessments Missing
Environmentalists highlight a fundamental flaw: lithium projects are moving forward without rigorous Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), relying instead on simpler Declarations of Environmental Impact (DIA). Unlike EIAs, these declarations do not require companies to identify, mitigate, or compensate for ecological damage.
“Submitting extractive projects to environmental evaluation is the bare minimum,” Arroyo said.
Flavia Liberona, executive director of Fundación Terram, added: “All new lithium projects, regardless of size, must go through a full EIA, especially given they involve wetlands in one of the world’s driest deserts.”
Atacama Ecosystems Under Pressure
Much of the strategy centers around the Salar de Atacama, Chile’s most productive salt flat. Local communities and indigenous authorities warn of the ecological risks tied to increased extraction.
Justo Zuleta, mayor of San Pedro de Atacama, expressed concern over the inclusion of new extractive components in ecologically sensitive zones: “There’s a commitment from the Ministry of Mining to reduce freshwater use, but it must be honored. These are fragile ecosystems.”
Environmental groups note that the Atacama salt flat is not merely a mineral deposit—it’s a living system. Disruption in one area affects the entire habitat, including unique microbial life and biodiversity crucial to both science and culture.
Legislative and Legal Pushback
Senator Alfonso de Urresti, chair of the Senate’s Environmental Commission, described the government’s approach as lacking ambition in sustainability:
“The strategy does not offer enough environmental safeguards or real protection for vulnerable ecosystems like the high Andean salt flats.”
He warned that unchecked expansion of lithium mining could reduce water availability, endanger endemic species, and destabilize ancient biological cycles.
In the legal sphere, Gabriel Muñoz, an environmental lawyer and representative of the Atacameña community of Coyo, emphasized that the process lacks proper consultation with Indigenous peoples under ILO Convention 169.
“We’re seeing a policy designed for maximum resource extraction, without a real framework for ecological sustainability,” Muñoz said.
A Return to Extractivist Logic?
Although the National Lithium Strategy includes the creation of a National Network of Protected Salt Flats, critics argue the selection process lacks clear ecological criteria and transparency. Flavia Liberona noted that decisions are being made without robust hydrological or biodiversity data.
“We are once again witnessing a logic of knowing in order to exploit, rather than understanding ecosystems to protect them,” said Arroyo.
Environmentalists say the National Lithium Strategy is at a crossroads. Without stronger scientific foundations, full environmental assessments, and community participation, Chile risks undermining its own ambitions for sustainable mineral leadership.